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Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) makes a pass with pressure from Utah defensive end Derrick Shelby (90) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Oct. 8, 2011, in Salt Lake City. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

Brock Osweiler the Denver Broncos second draft pick in the 2012 NFL football draft smiles as he talks to the media at the Denver Broncos headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on April 28, 2012. Osweiler was a quarterback at Arizona State. AP Photo/Ed Andrieski

Denver Broncos vice president John Elway, right, poses with Brock Osweiler the teams second draft pick in the 2012 NFL football draft at the Denver Broncos headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on April 28, 2012. Osweiler was a quarterback at Arizona State. AP Photo/Ed Andrieski

Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson (22) and Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) celebrate a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday in Denver. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) throws against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. The Broncos won 30-24. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) celebrates the game winning touchdown during overtime of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 30-24. AP Photo/Joe Mahoney

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) celebrates his touchdown pass against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. AP Photo/Joe Mahoney

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) celebrates his touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Caldwell, not seen, with Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson (22) during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) talks with referee Tony Corrente (99) during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) has his pass tipped for an interception by New England Patriots defensive end Jabaal Sheard during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) walks off the field after an interception against the New England Patriots during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) lunges for the first down against the New England Patriots during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. AP Photo/Joe Mahoney

Denver Broncos fans hold a sign in support of Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. AP Photo/Joe Mahoney

Denver Broncos fans hold signs in support of Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler prior to an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. AP Photo/Jack Dempsey

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) throws against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015, in Denver. The Broncos won 30-24.(Photo: AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

DENVER – The old quarterback, the one wearing a blue walking cast on his left foot, slipped a gray overcoat over his shoulders, and slowly walked through the most raucous postgame locker room his team had experienced all season.

As teammates headed to the shower, Peyton Manning stopped them one by one.

He pulled cornerback Chris Harris into a big hug before peppering him with questions about the routes the Patriots were running, and what Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was saying on the field late in the game. Manning patted receiver Emmanuel Sanders on the shoulder, and headed for a back exit — away from all of the television cameras and reporters who had gathered to talk to his teammates about their biggest win of the season, a 30-24 overtime victory against the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

Manning smiled as he shook hands with general manager John Elway, and then he was gone — off into a snowy Denver night, and into another week in which his team isn’t really his anymore.

With the way the young quarterback Brock Osweiler is playing, it may never be Manning’s team again.

“He’s the biggest competitor, this has to be killing him,” Harris said.

Of course, the Broncos — both players and coaches — won’t say that the Broncos now belong to Osweiler, not while Manning continues to rehab from the torn plantar fascia in his left foot, but what is indisputable now is that the Broncos are a better team with the 25-year-old Osweiler than they were with 39-year-old ailing Manning.

It wasn’t just that Osweiler has won both of his starts since he was tabbed to replace Manning two weeks ago. It is how Osweiler and the Broncos have won them — with poise, confidence and energy that belie his limited experience.

“It wasn’t always pretty, but I think as long as you’re willing to continue to fight and fight throughout a game, you’ll always hang in there,” Osweiler said.

Playing on a frigid night on Sunday, and in a stadium transformed into a snow globe, Osweiler led the Broncos back from a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit to hand the Patriots their first loss of the season. Osweiler threw one touchdown pass, a 4-yarder to Andre Caldwell with 1:09 remaining in regulation, and led three other drives that ended in rushing touchdowns, including C.J. Anderson’s 48-yard walk-off score in overtime. That play came on a third-and-2 and was originally called as a run to the right. Osweiler, with urging from his offensive line, checked into a zone run to the left, and moments later, Anderson was gone.

It was a call that Osweiler later said he hoped he could have made years ago, when he was a rookie backup to Manning, but the fact that he changed the play in overtime, with Brady watching from the opposite sideline, showed why the Broncos are right to have such confidence in him.

And it showed why head coach Gary Kubiak and general manager John Elway will probably soon be forced to make a very difficult decision.

Even if Manning gets healthy, can the Broncos go back?

“(Osweiler is) supposed to make it hard, make it a hard decision for everybody. I mean, Brock is a guy that's in a contract situation after this season,” Harris said. “He's hungry, he wants to go out and prove what he can do, and he's having a great opportunity to do that.”

The Broncos won seven games with Manning this year — several of them in spite of him, as he threw 17 interceptions before he was pulled midway through a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago. It took weeks for him to get comfortable in a new offense, even one that was tweaked throughout the season to better suit him. By mid-November, foot and shoulder and rib injuries were just too much for the 39-year-old body to overcome.

The best-case scenario for the Broncos (though not the best scenario for Manning) has happened. Osweiler, a second-round pick who spent three and a half years on the bench, has played well, with just one interception in his two starts, and the Broncos have been able to maintain their three-game lead in the AFC West.

With Osweiler under center, the Broncos have strung together two strong performances with the running game, including a season-high 179 total rushing yards against the Patriots, and have found ways to get plenty of different players involved. On Sunday night, Osweiler completed passes to nine different teammates.

Manning is expected to be sidelined for at least another week, when the Broncos play at the San Diego Chargers, and then the team will re-evaluate if and when he can return to practice.

“This is a good problem to have,” tight end Owen Daniels said. “As players, we trust both guys.